


Jedtaviusweek2k19

by orphan_account



Category: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Genre: M/M, jedtaviusweek2k19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-12 15:20:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19231777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: These are my entries for the Jedtavius Week (started on Tumblr recently).Prompst are the chapter titles.Have fun! I know I will have while writing. :) Rating may go up.Chapter 1: Lost (no warnings)Chapter 2: And they were roommates (NSFW)Chapter 3: Jealousy (some violence)





	1. Lost (Monday)

**Author's Note:**

> First prompt "Lost".  
> Wow. It's 2:30 am. I am so sorry. xD  
> Let me know what you thinkkkk please?

Early April. The snow was barely covering the short-cut grass. A miracle for some, almost an apology for the missed White Christmas that year. For a miniature though, these precious inches might just prove deadly.

As it was, for Jedediah and Octavius, their adventure had already turned into a nightmare. Larry, wanting to gift them something special because they’d behaved *so well* for the past weeks, had surprised them with a snowmobile. What. Could. Possibly. Go. Wrong.

In hindsight, it was almost everything. They’d promised to stay close. (They didn’t.) Larry had said he’d keep an eye on them anyway. (He hadn’t.) Teddy had wanted to take his horse for a ride outside anyway. (The horse didn’t think so.) So as it was, after a short commotion of Tex and everyone rushing to get the horse inside, after an adrenaline rush of Jedediah and Octavius to *finally* be free, the snowmobile had carried them far away from civilization.

The stars above were beautiful and the sounds from the city surrounding the park seemed to dull and diminish slowly but surely. The wind hitting their faces was cold and real and they both loved it so much with Octavius cheering Jedediah on and Jedediah, wanting to impress his friend, aiming for just one more jump.

That’s when the cat struck. It pounced on them, clawing at the vehicle and its riders. Octavius held on to Jed’s vest and with his other hand tried to draw his sword but it was all such a tumbling mess. The cat, after biting into the snowmobile and mangling it, screamed in pain and confusion. Obviously it must have bitten into something that had hurt. Jedediah would feel bad for the creature that, most likely, had only acted on instinct, but it had just tried to kill them. As he brushed off his legs and behind and got up, he took a look around, realizing just how bad the situation was. The vehicle, what was left of it, lay shredded in the snow. Completely unsalvageable. Not that he would have had any idea how to in the first place - this was no simple wagon.

Octavius, also on his legs again (His very bare legs and why didn’t he wear pants like the rest of them, Jed wondered.), did not look around. “Jed?”, he asked. “Are you hurt?”

“Naaah. I’m fine.” But we’re in deep trouble, he thought to himself as he let his eyes roam the perimeter once more. “You?”

“I’m unharmed.”

He didn’t sound like it, but Jedediah decided to let it slide. “It’s a good thing that we have these tracks. Ain’t no gettin’ lost that way.” The snowmobile’s journey was still visible in the snow, but it was starting to snow again, and they would not be visible forever. Then again, they didn’t need forever. They had other problems once the sun rose.

“Well? What are we waiting for? There could be more beasts lurking beneath-” Octavius looked around. There really wasn’t a lot of bush or overgrowth on their way. Maybe a feral mouse? “-above! We must hurry!” Determined, the general made his way through the snow as if it, too, would part for him. (It didn’t.)

Jedediah chuckled but followed immediately. His friend *had* a point. “Well, well, well, amigo. Look who’s lucky wearing pants? And boots?” He shuffled through the snow, kicking it, laughing, and quickly gaining some distance on his friend. “It’s like-” *kick* “-taking a stroll-” *kick* “-in a meadow!” And one last kick, for good measure.

“You mock me in my time of peril!”, he yelled and made every word count. His following smile and laughter destroyed any feigned anger though.

“Not my fault ya didn’t dress for the occasion.” Jedediah slowed his steps. No matter the energy Octavius put into it, it just couldn’t live up to Jed’s easy strides. Once he was close, he got a better look at his friend, who had fallen silent. “Maybe you should wrap the cape around you? Or lose it?” It had been dragging behind him and now, soaked, only seemed to weigh more than it did do good.

Octavius pulled it in resolutely, wrapping it around his torso and tied it. He looked miserable already.

“Let’s see how far we’ll make it. Larry said he’d look around fer us. We might be lucky, eh?”

“Yes. Maybe.” There was a chattering in his voice.

Of course he would be cold, now that he was wading through the snow. And he was still wearing nothing but sandals! “Boy, we really didn’t think this one through, huh?” He quickly averted his eyes, focusing on the long way ahead of them.

A chuckle, at least. “When have we ever?”

Jed grinned and turned a little and the look, the look Octavius threw him, had him stumble for two steps. He’d never been looked at like that. Not with eyes so soft. He’d never seen eyes this soft. Not for him!

That had Octavius laughing again. “Forgot how to walk, oh great explorer?”

His mind was still reeling. He tried to focus up ahead but found himself looking at Octavius again and again.

The Roman, in turn, had the decency to blush. (It could have been the cold, too, but Jedediah didn’t want to think so. And he refused to think about why he didn’t want to think otherwise.)

“What-” Jedediah started. But what- what was that, really? “What’s with them eyes, huh?” Eloquent. The shame of being at such a loss for words and something distinctly different had him feeling warm all of a sudden.

“I have absolutely no idea whatever you’re talking about.” Octavius shook his head in a way that people shake their heads who focus very much on shaking their heads.

“This ain’t the best of places to go around-”, he stumbled again. “-around throwing eyes around like that!”

“I threw nothing at nobody.” But he couldn’t keep a straight face. It softened again immediately and he quickly looked the other way. Octavius had slowed down considerably by now and was taking heavy breaths. The cold and the weight of his clothes and armor were beginning to take its toll.

Jedediah noticed, of course, and drew slowly closer. “Pardner, I think we need a Plan B.”

Octavius nodded but did not comment.

To Jedediah’s delight, his friend did not stray from him. In fact, it almost looked like Octavius was stepping a little closer to him as well. “Larry’s lookin’ for us. I bet! We can keep walkin’ and never make it. Or! We wait for Gigantor to come find us while we warm up a bit.” Maybe he could spark up some of these soft eyes again if he kept a little closer. Now that he knew what they looked like, he fancied them very much.

“We should make as much headway as possible. Everything else would be giving up.” Which, of course, implied that Octavius had no intention of giving up.

“This trail’s bound to grow cold, amigo.” Chuckling at his own joke he caught another smile on his friend’s face, small crinkles forming at the corners of his eyes.

“If I should perish tonight I’d not want to die without a fight. Death will not find me on my knees. I cannot imagine it is any different for you?” Nevermind the man was drenched, cold and very close to shivering with his bare legs stuck in the snow almost up to the hem of his tunic. He stood tall, shoulders squared, a slight tilt of his head and a look, wistful, directed to the far horizon, which had begun to change in color.

Jed found himself wanting to go with him, no matter where. But he couldn’t just say so. That would be against every unspoken rule they had. “I’d like to go with a little less fanfares.”

Octavius turned to Jedediah, his heart on his sleeve once more. “And if- if we should not make it-”

“Nah! Don’t go thinkin’ that!” Yet there was no denying that the dark of the night was slowly giving way to the warm glow of morning.

“You should know that there is no one else I would rather have at my side.”

Jedediah didn’t know what to say. They’d never really talked about London. He’d never taken his friend’s hand again ever since and this sort of… confession - that hadn’t happened in London. This was new.

Octavius took a deep breath, let go of his cape and stepped even closer. He hugged Jed tight and the cowboy didn’t know what was worse - that he didn’t get the kiss he’d wanted or that he would die not having told his - his best friend - his best man, partner, his-

His heart was pounding in his chest, drumming in his ears. His entire body was shaking and - wait a minute…

“There they are! Rexy, quick!”, Larry’s voice rang over the booming footsteps of the dinosaur skeleton.

Octavius pulled away, eyes a little watery but wide and bright with joy. Jedediah thought that, if Octavius kept looking at him like that, he might never want to look away ever again.


	2. And they were roommates (Thursday)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dedicate this piece of work to my very special friend A. who is not on Ao3 but I will make sure to link her the fic.
> 
> Thank you everyone who cheered me on and endured me in my times of weeping and groaning about how much I suck at writing. You're the best!

The three hour drive was not the problem. Neither was the rented car. What was a problem was the ever-present, ongoing rain, pouring down as if heaven had decided now was a good time to do inventory. Octavius just had to make it for another ten minutes, his navigation system said, then he’d be at the motel. It wasn’t exactly the cheapest one, but he had some standards and presented with his very packed schedule for this month, nothing could go wrong.  _ The National _ was one of the few motels that had offered booking this far in advance, had some decent ratings, accepted a foreign credit card and could be booked online. The passcode to his room had been sent to his mobile moments after booking. 

Others might call his choice of life and preparations pedantic or boring, but everything else just would not cut it for him. He’d worry for days, not being able to rest or focus properly on other tasks. If it hadn’t been for the rain that turned into a full-fledged storm, he would have been perfectly at ease, despite the late hour on a foreign road.

The sign of  _ The National _ appeared in the distance and he took the next exit. Everything was as described with just one tiny detail left out: Neither the way to the main entrance nor the short walk to the rooms in the slightly higher accommodations building were canopied. Most parking spaces near the entrance had already been taken. Octavius pulled into the nearest parking space, grabbed for his leather bag and remembered; he’d lent his small travelling umbrella to a co-worker one evening and still hadn’t gotten it back. Compassion really just had thwarted his perfect planning.

Octavius closed his eyes and counted to ten. He wasn’t vain, and money was not a problem, but he hated knowing perfectly good items could or would be ruined simply because, well, due to a stroke of bad luck. If he ran, the clothes he was wearing right now might get wet, but nothing could happen that could not be handled by a decent dry cleaner. Some of the items inside his suitcase, however… Should he leave it? Thinking about his last two meetings that would simply not be responsible. His laptop contained vital information and notes about internal business workings, not to mention the updated 5-year plan. If something happened to it, he wouldn’t hear the end of it.

No, absolutely not. He opened his suitcase and rearranged the clothes, making sure they’d cover the laptop. The distance to the accommodations building wasn’t *that* far. He could run. He would run!

 

* * *

 

The rain outside was just the right kind of heavy with no thunderstorm or lightning nearby. Him and the boys had managed to land a gig nearby. Jedediah preferred to call it a gig. It made his line of work a little less questionable. Lying on the bed, he fumbled for the remote on the nightstand. Some light TV would do him good. He needed to clear his head.

Jed hadn’t been a part of the group’s last ten shows or so, always busy on his parents’ the farm. It’s a wonder they still let him participate. They’d met for some exercises and rehearsals during the last two weeks and, lo and behold, he still got it. A real natural, Billy had called him. He was right. Still, it left him feeling uneasy. What did it say about a person who was just a real natural at stripteasing of all things? He side-eyed his worn duffel bag on the ground, knowing his guns, boots and chaps were in there.

Someone was at the door. Immediately he jumped out of bed. Whatever burglar stupid enough to rattle on the handle like that clearly was an idiot. As he drew closer, he heard the sound of disappointed beeps coming from the electronic lock outside. Maybe, he figured, someone just had the wrong room?

Taking pity after hearing a particularly desolate sigh, he opened the door. “Hey, compadre, this room is already occupad-oh!” Oh indeed! What a looker! And the fact that this handsome stranger was completely soaked, his white shirt clinging to his body in all the right places... He’d obviously tried to shield himself wish his jacket. It was absolutely drenched and he held it in his free hand. 

The other had dark, loose curls and a broad, handsome face. Water droplets had begun to ran down his temples. He looked absolutely astounded and took a half-step back. After checking the number on the side of the door, he said, determined: “This is my room.”

Not that Jed could be persuaded in any way by the mesmerizing Italian accent or the entire package that was this snack of a man in general, but he was beginning to see the stranger’s point. Right until he remembered checking in this evening and booking the room with his very own, hard-earned cash! “Now, hold on a minute! I booked this room tonight.” He left the door open, sprinted back to his nightstand and got the room key, which was tagged with 3-15. Jed came back to dangle it in front of the stranger, who’d been kind enough to wait outside and proved not to be an axe-murderer. For now.

The stranger snatched the key from him and read the tag, his face falling. He then took out a very new, expensive looking iPhone and, after very few taps, turned it to show it to Jed.

He was presented with an email from over two months ago that verified the stranger’s booking and came attached with the code for the lock. The room he’d booked was indeed 3-15. And his name was Octavius Augusto. And he was a business executive for a fancy-sounding company. And- the phone was taken away before he could decipher more. “Well…”, Jed said. Of course, the stranger could be a liar. Or a scammer. Or an axe-murderer. “The entire hotel is booked, I’m afraid. The front desk lady said I was lucky…”

The stranger – Octavius? Augusto? – sighed and closed his eyes. Jed thought he looked very tired.

“Alright. Alright, listen. Are you – and I don’t ask this question lightly – are you an axe-murderer?”

Octavius opened his eyes, shocked. “What?” He sounded angry. 

“Just checking before I offer you the couch – geez louise.”

“You…?” Octavius looked at the room behind Jed, spotted the couch and seemed to weigh his options.

Jed waited, hands on his hips, swaying just a little. The front desk was closed. He’d say that much if the stranger should ask.

“That would be most gracious of you.” Another sigh and the man bent a little to grab his suitcase. “I’ll sort it out tomorrow with whoever is working at the reception. Can I offer you some compensation for your inconvenience?”

‘Oh yes!’, Jed thought, but social conditioning took over, making him say: “Naaah, it’s fine, really.” While he stepped aside to let the drenched Italian in, he watched as the man propped the suitcase on the nearest table, a small puddle of water already forming around one table leg. Apparently, whatever was in the suitcase was more important than getting out of his wet clothes. The man took out a medium sized, silver notebook and started it up. He seemed relieved that it did. “Are you a spy?”, Jed blurted because he couldn’t stand the silence and he’d long since learned to not fight his inner idiot too much.

“No. And you should know, I noticed you were reading more of my email than strictly necessary, so to speak.” The laptop was already shutting down again and the Italian turned towards him, taking a bit of a stance.

Jed crossed his arms and clicked his tongue. He produced the meanest glare he could. He drawled: “Sounds like something a spy would notice…”

A smile tugged at the corner of Octavius’ lips and he couldn’t hold it anymore. He let out a burst of laughter and Jedediah fell in love a little, laughing along shortly after.

 

* * *

 

The laughter had really helped. Truth be told, Octavius had been anxious about losing his data. And also about the booking not having worked. The dread as he’d tried to turn the handle… Yes, this was much better. Even if he now had to share a room with a complete stranger. He would do for a night. As the man turned to close the door, Octavius found himself eyeing the man up and down. Yes, he thought again, he would certainly do for a night. And wow! He blinked, stupefied by his own trail of thought. That one had come up without a warning. Had it really been that long? 

Now this, he thought (quieter this time), this was dangerous territory. The stranger was just about his type too. Maybe not with as much a pretty face as his last lover, but the resemblance was stunning, now that he thought about it. The slightly crooked nose, the stubble and the altogether rougher edges gave the handsome stranger a different kind of allure. The accent had sounded weird at first, but it was endearing to Octavius already. And, not to mention, the man had offered to share the room with him, simply because he, too, was a kind person at heart. (A kind, weird person with strange ideas about what kind of strangers would try to enter a hotel room the conventional way at just about half past midnight but a kind person at heart, really. Maybe a bit of an idiot.)

“I believe introductions are in order.” Octavius reached out to shake hands and the other gladly took it, his hands warm and just the right kind of rough. He tried not to think about that. “I’m Octavius Augusto - Augusto being the family name.”

The stranger grinned. “Nice! I was just about to ask. Name’s Jedediah Smith. Nice to meetcha.”

He blinked. Jedediah had to be cranking up his accent on purpose, right? 

“Now, fer sleeping arrangements. I already mentioned there’s a couch that I’m not going to use so - feel free to occupy that. Also-” The other took one long, meaningful look at him, head to toes. “-you have something dry to put on, pardner, or…?”

“Oh!” Octavius took one look at his suitcase which, in hindsight, might have saved his laptop, but at what cost? What kind of cheap model was that? It couldn’t even keep out a bit of rain? “I’m afraid I’ve run out…” Now, back when he was still a little  _ bambino _ , there was a trick he could do that had all the grandmothers in his village either give him cookies or want to bake him some. Lowering his head a little he looked just the right kind of lost and desperate to still be believable. His eyes glancing, again - this time on purpose, from Jedediah to his wet suitcase and his lower lip was barely sticking out. It was silly. Utterly silly and stupid, but he felt like Jed might appreciate it.

The man put his hand on his chest in mock hurt and shock. “Wow. Just wow. Did- Did you just try and use puppy eyes - on ME?” Smiling in disbelief, he laughed a little, but Octavius had won, in a way, because there was also a faint blush spreading on his cheeks. “Now I’m not saying that don’t work but-” He let out a frustrated sigh. “- I do have one sleeping shirt that’s kinda long and you and your chest might just fit in it. Gimme a second.”

Octavius chose to ignore Jed’s comment about his chest. After all he knew he was relatively well-built thanks to a regular gym-routine and healthy food. The fact that Jedediah had noticed, though, and blushed, had him somewhat giddy and wondering if they were flirting? Was this flirting? It’s been so long. Not to be dramatic but he did feel like he’d forgotten how to in the first place. He watched the tall blond as he rummaged inside his duffel bag and his eyes fell on an honest to God cowboy hat, dangling on the lower bedposts. “Are you a cowboy?”, he asked jokingly.

Jedediah froze for a moment, then yanked a long, broad shirt from his bag. “Nah, I’m just… Texan!” His eyes were wide and somehow his blush had deepened considerably. 

Just his bad luck, really, that Octavius now spied something else in the bag: Something that was definitely leather and it had these tell-tale fringes. “You ARE a cowboy!”, he exclaimed and drew closer, intent to look at the chaps he’d just spotted when it dawned him. Probably not *that* kind of cowboy, based on Jed’s reaction. “Oh…” He nodded, slowly, his eyes travelling from the the duffel bag to Jed’s “cowboy” boots, his nicely fitting jeans and soft sweater to wide, blue eyes. 

The mood had shifted and Octavius was trapped between feeling extremely awkward but also decisively curious and bold (and something else he didn’t want to address right now). Jedediah had already proven to be quite the jokester. Maybe a jibe would be more effective than a sorry? But what to say? “None of the reviews said anything about this kind of room service.”

The blond man chuckled and finally stopped cramping the shirt, some tension leaving his shoulders. “Yeah, the fee’s too much. Ain’t nobody bookin’ this buckaroo.” Still, he averted his eyes. Nervous.

“Now that’s a shame.”, he said, in a much deeper voice than he’d found appropriate himself. He wanted to come closer to Jed but this just wasn’t *him*. Things were going way too fast. This was probably one huge mistake in the making.

Their eyes met, longer this time. 

He could tell that Jedediah, much like himself, was gathering his senses - but held his gaze. “Wow. You’re - something.”, Jed blurted out. “A real professional. Picking up strangers often, mister?”

“Not usually, no.”, he confessed. Octavius wanted to keep the conversation light - for the sake of not complicating things. He wanted to joke and laugh. But he also wanted to do a great many other things with-to Jedediah and, the longer they stood this close, the less he was convinced that this was such a bad idea. To make things worse, the way the other kept glancing at his mouth more often than not showed that Jed might not say no.

Jed shook his head and let out a quiet laugh, practically shoving the shirt into Octavius’ chest. “Okay. Uhm. This- This is weird, right?”

He took it. “Only a little. It’s definitely not a good idea.” It was the meticulous businessman talking. He did not *know* Jedediah and there were just too many risks involved. Octavius didn’t do one-night-stands or quickies. Not from personal experience, but his siblings just had so many fucked up stories to tell and his youngest brother  had three child-supports to pay. Thanks, but no thanks.

“I mean- yeah. Not that I don’t want to, you know?” Jed glanced at Octavius’ mouth. Again. And it really, really didn’t help Octavius’ situation.”I’m kinda flattered by the attention. But still.”

“Oh.”, he said eloquently, like the Oxford graduate that he was. Trying to ignore the fluttering sensation in his stomach, he chose to focus on other things. He was still drenched. Maybe he should get out of his wet clothes? “I’m… I’ll go change. Bathroom.”

“Yep.” Jed nodded and pointed to the only other door that did not lead outside.

“Thanks.” Octavius excused himself and was both relieved to have left the close vicinity of that strangely alluring individual and already missed being close to him.

 

* * *

 

Jed wiped his forehead. What had just happened? His heart was still going way too fast. Sure, the guy was attractive, there was no denying that. And yeah, so he liked being flirted with. A little. By the handsome Italian stranger who happened to be a hunk and had the nicest voice ever. Man, that accent did things to him. Focus. He needed to focus. And calm down. Maybe Jed was lucky that the man had fled. They were both idiots - but they weren’t that kind of idiots.

… Right?

‘Why not?’, a rebellious part of him ask. 

Jed had basically confessed to not being… opposed. It’d been so long since his last, good fuck and damn, that face? That build? That - everything? It wasn’t fair! Jed still felt his blood rushing south, pumping in places where it shouldn’t right now. Why shouldn’t they? The guy was a stranger, so yes, there were risks, but he didn’t seem bad. He likely had the very same thoughts, which is why he’d hightailed. 

Wait. He smacked his head. The poor dude only had his shirt. And nothing else! But Jed couldn’t offer him some of his underwear, right? That would be weird.

Just then Octavius emerged, filling out Jed’s sleeping shirt just nicely. He’d wrapped one of the larger towels around his hips and used a smaller one to rub his hair dry. “I did say I would compensate you, right? There’s not much I can offer...”

Jed’s thoughts went to all the things that he’d want Octavius to do and he wanted to smack himself again.

The Italian walked over to his suitcase. Hidden under his clothes was a dark red bottle of wine. It didn’t look like much - Jed couldn’t even make out a label, just a red wrapping on top. 

“Ah,  _ merda _ ! The water...” He reached into the suitcase again and took out a wet piece of - oh. The label had fallen off. 

“Nevermind! I appreciate the gesture but this really ain’t necessary.” Nevertheless, he walked closer, curious. Most items inside looked quite expensive. Not that Jed was an expert but cheap stuff simply looked cheap. This? Nice, classy clothing. 

Octavius spread the label over the red bottle again. It didn’t stick anymore. Jed read: “Chaddou Lafight-Rothsh… what?”

“It’s french.”, Octavius said as he peeled off the wrapper on top. Did he want to drink some? Now? Did he want Jed to drink some? Not very subtle. Jed playfully boxed the man on his upper arm. “Yes, well, no shit? Can you imagine I do not speak French?” 

“And here I was hoping you were quite proficient in French.” Octavius leaned into him a little and just as Jed had thought they’d settled this, he wondered if maybe he wasn’t the only overly horny guy in the room.

“Listen-” It clicked and he was a little offended. “Alright first of… I am a stripper, not a whore, so jot that down.” Octavius chuckled at that and went to search for something, the towel slowly slipping a little after every other step. It would be a shame if… it fell down. Jed’s eyes couldn’t not follow him. Sadly the man was aware and kept hoisting it up again.

“And…?”. 

That was definitely a tease. You didn’t throw a guy that kind of look over your shoulder, wearing nothing but a towel (and a nice sleeping shirt that a kind stranger borrowed you). Jed was furious! And very turned on. “And… well. I was thinking-” What *was* he thinking? He knew what he was thinking about right now. Jed was thinking about how much he wanted to see that nice piece of ass. And how he wanted to show Octavius the little French he *did* know. Or maybe Octavius could … - after all, he had been promised some form of compensation, right? He caught a glimpse of the man’s lips again before he turned to look for whatever it was he was looking for. These lips would give him nightmares. “- that I don’t need the wine. It’s a real sweet gesture, but I’m not too fond of alcohol, actually.”

Octavius turned to him again, puzzled. Obviously a turn of events he hadn’t expected.

Now Jed had the chance to turn him down, to put an end to this. But it’d been so long since he’d last felt like this. And he needed more. 

“Is… there something else you’d like?” Octavius put the bottle of wine on a nearby cupboard and continued, cheekily: “Me, maybe?” 

Jed could tell the man was confident, but just insecure enough to still be honest, to make this entire encounter real and his cock very hard. “Really? You think I’m that easy? Not even an innuendo? No euphemism? Is that what they teach you in fancy business man school?” He couldn’t not grin. Jed put his hands on the table behind him, propping himself up just a little. He needed some kind of support. A grip.

“You’re getting hard already. I think I’m doing something right.” Octavius nodded in the general direction of, well, his dick, and had a very smug grin on his face. Manners? Never heard of them.

Granted, the way Jed was sitting, it was difficult to hide. He hadn’t thought about that but now figured it was a nice turn of events. Let the man see what he had, why not? Jed knew he was a handful. And he wasn’t even all hard yet. Octavius wasn’t the only one that could tease. “Eh. Not sure.” He made a non-committing gesture, his hand waggling in the air. “Just to be clear here. We’re doing this, right? No strings attached?”

Octavius walked back towards him and Jed was so, so glad he had the table to grab because that man had him weak in his knees again. “Fine with me.” His expression, while still playful, had shifted a little into something more earnest. He stopped standing very close, their knees touching. If Jed wasn’t half sitting on the table they’d be flush against each other… 

The italian radiated warmth. “Niiice…”, Jed drawled. He eyed him up and down as best as he could from his position. Octavius was definitely into it. The towel showed a tell-tale bulge and Jed gulped. He reached out, touching the other’s sides, just above the hem of the towel, and let his hands trail upwards. Octavius really was well-built, but not thanks to any pumped-up muscles. Jed could feel a healthy layer of fat with muscles underneath, his thumbs caressing the curves they found. Octavius was breathing heavily, too, leaning into the touch. Jed shifted, thinking that there should be more of Octavius closer to him, please, so he parted his legs and pulled him in. Having him this close? Felt real good. Jed let out a quiet hum. 

Octavius chuckled. “Are you sure that’s not because of me?”

Jedediah grinned, looking up just a bit. Not that Octavius was taller, no way, Jed was leaning back a little. “Oh, you just want to have your ego stroked, mister.”

Licking his lips, Octavius leaned in even further. “That and other things, yes.” His left hand was on the table as well, not too far from Jeds and his right hand- He put his right hand on Jed’s upper leg, caressing him languidly. Their faces were only inches apart and Jed, suddenly remembering that he hadn’t kissed anyone in a very long time, felt a surge of being out of his element and awkward. Shit.

“Are you alright?”, Octavius asked and Jed wasn’t sure if he liked him picking up on his insecurities or not yet.

“Mh-hm!” He nodded.

“Should we stop?” Octavius looked genuinely concerned and it killed Jed a little inside.

“No! Absolutely not! It’s just - I - I haven’t done this in a long time, okay?” Gosh, he hated how insecure and desperate he sounded.

“That’s okay. neither have I!” Oct let go of Jed’s leg and carefully cradled his face in his hands, offering him a reassuring smile and because Jed truly wasn’t an entire idiot, he could see now that Octavius was, deep down, maybe a little nervous himself. 

“Could have fooled me…”

Octavius flashed him a grin. He hesitated, but then lowered his head and kissed him. Now this was dangerous territory, Jed thought. He could get used to this and this man probably lived in Italy and Jed could not afford a plane ticket every day. Octavius was a good kisser, going just the right kind of slow in the beginning and his lips really were as soft and amazing as they looked. 

When Octavius sneaked his hand back down, Jed shuddered. It didn’t settle on his leg again; it palmed Jed’s half-hard cock, sending shivers down his spine and had him rocking forward, spreading his legs even more. Octavius seemed to take that as a ‘yes’ and brought their bodies flush together, his hands grabbing Jeds hips as he ground down on the man below him. Jed moaned. Every grind and thrust had his dick feeling just a little better and he was painfully hard by now and could tell that Oct was about there as well.

Just as things became more heated, Octavius started to quietly chuckle to himself, eventually having to break it. “Sorry! Just- I was wondering how you’d managed to put on these tight jeans and how I’ll get you out of them now when there’s even less… wiggle room.” 

“You stop manhandling me fer that?!” But Jed was secretly glad for the break. A) He didn't know how much longer he would have lasted if things had continued like that and B) He did want to get out of his (now painfully tight) pants and into Octavius’- well, not pants, but towel. He pushed at Octavius, to have the man make some room and found that the other eagerly gave way. 

 

* * *

 

It turned out that Jed really had no trouble sneaking out of his jeans. Not for the first time this night he wondered what the man would look like in those chaps he’d only gotten a glimpse of. Somehow he knew that asking for a change of attire might not further the good mood - not with how nervous Jed had been about the topic before. Maybe another time, he thought and didn’t, in his very turned on and dazzled state, think to question when and how another time might happen. Right now he could only think about how nicely Jed filled out his briefs and that he wanted to get his hands all over the man again.

“Hey! My eyes are up here!”, Jed said, having the audacity to swing his hips a little while throwing his jeans on the floor.

Octavius groaned. “You. Are. Insufferable.” He tugged at the hem of his (Jed’s!) shirt and pulled it off over his head. Quite satisfied he noted how it was Jed’s turn now to stare. Feeling bold again he stepped closer and helped Jed out of his sweater. The moment it was gone, the Texan kissed his jaw and neck, his hands roaming over his chest and one trying to sneak in between the folds of the towel, only for it to come loose and drop to the floor. Not that Jed seemed to care. He was busy stroking Octavius’ very hard dick. 

It seemed Octavius was not the only one feeling bold now. (Might have been the adrenaline and want finally cancelling out everything else.) Octavius moaned, deeply, as Jed settled for a rhythm with an ease that betrayed his prior words of not having a lot of partners. Right. He should also do something for Jed. Wasn’t that the entire premise? Him, offering some kind of special compensation? How cheesy. But he didn’t want Jed to stop. It simply felt too good. His breathing came out in hard pants and every stroke had the muscles in his lower abdomen clench. 

“Can we lie down? Maybe?” Jedediah sounded as desperate, out of breath as he felt, Octavius nodded and steered Jed towards the bed. Sadly the man let go of him. “Wow!”, he exclaimed as he let himself fall on the bed. “You’re… thick. I mean not that I didn’t just have my hands on you but - wow.”

Octavius pushed him further away, just a little, so he was sitting on the bed.  A little puzzled, he let himself fall back, propped up on his elbows. “Whatcha got in mind, handsome?”, Jed asked.

He had to know how absolutely stunning he looked like that. If not, Octavius would make it clear for him. “I think I want to suck you.”, he said, nodding his head.

Jed blinked and opened his mouth as if to say something, but let out a fit of laughter. It didn’t stop him from hastily taking off his underwear though. “Yes! Please! Wow! Be my absolute guest good Sir!”

Octavius watched and had the pleasure to see Jed strip, see his very nice, full cock and a perfect ass. (Hnnng, he wanted to slap it.) 

Jed shifted and Octavius thought he might just have become a little nervous again. Understandably. He himself was a bit nervous. He knelt in front of him, his left hand spreading Jed’s legs a little further. Not that it was necessary, but he did like the feel of Jed’s soft, inner thighs and the way the man’s pupils dilated at the touch. 

With his right hand he began gently stroking Jed, weighing the man’s reaction. Once he saw Jed leaning back a once more, looking more comfortable with the situation, he wrapped his lips around the tip of his cock. Jed’s moan was too sinful of a sound; it could probably send a demon back to hell. Octavius sucked, just a little, and lowered his head. He went slowly, in no particular rush, and enjoyed all the little sounds and encouragements coming from Jedediah. The man didn't shut up and Octavius loved every desperate second of his stream of consciousness. 

As he picked up his speed, one of Jed's hands sneaked into his hair. The man switched between forcing himself not to push Octavius' head down and, well, pushing his head down. Jedediah was really letting himself go, not holding back, and Octavius couldn't help but to jerk himself to it. There was no point in being a self-denying saint.

"Oh, please! Sh-shit! Please, please make me come! Let me come please, so close!" 

Not that Octavius didn't want to - but he was also very too much into all of this to just let him finish now. He shifted, abandoning Jed’s dick to prop himself up on top of him. He’d liked grinding against him before, so that’s what he did now. Flush against the other, he ground their hips together and it had Jed respond immediately.  
  


“Fuck!” He held on to Octavius for a while, getting lost in the sensation of their rocking bodies. He was aching for release so bad. Jed reached between their bodies and made sure to grasp both of their dicks, stroking them both in a solid hold. Hearing Octavius moan was one of the best rewards. It seemed like this was what they both needed. Their movements became more erratic and Octavius really put his weight into every latest thrust, setting Jed’s mind on fire thinking about what it would feel like if the Italian would fuck him like that. 

That thought had been too much. He came hard and loud, everything else drowned out. Unable to focus on anything but the greatest sensation in the entire world, he didn’t notice when or how Octavius had come as well, but he definitely had. He’d settled on top of him, with most of his weight on Jed and very little support from himself. 

Their breaths were evening out and Jed laughed to himself, quietly. That had felt amazing. He blinked, lazily, trying not to fall asleep. He knew it would pass any second if only he fought it a little longer.

“You know… if, hypothetically speaking-” Talking felt weird and he wasn’t even sure if Octavius was awake. “- next time one of us would have like, lube and a condom, how could I reach you?”

Octavius nuzzled his neck and kissed him there, sending another kind of warm feeling all over his body. He mumbled: “I have …  _ numero telefonico _ .”

Jed chuckled and let the man rest. Together they made one great idiot sandwich. It didn’t matter that he would likely die from suffocation, being buried under this beef. There were worse ways to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can tell, I am very inexperienced in writing smut or anything that is this kind of NSFW. I apologize to people who thought they'd get a hot, steamy sexy-times scene. I am so very sorry!


	3. Jealousy (Friday)

The past five nights had been hell and kept getting worse. Never before had Jedediah seen his friend so irritated, so angry and snappy at the slightest misstep. It had started with the (not uncommon) silent treatment, when Octavius had thought he was in the right ™ but didn’t want to push things further for the sake of diplomacy ™. Usually, whenever the bad mood struck his friend, this was the stage that it stopped. Give or take a night or two of brooding and things went back to normal.

This time, it was different. There were bitter and stunning angry remarks. Not too many at first, but they were increasing and hurtful. Octavius knew what to say to hurt and he did to everyone around him. The fact that Jed was very much in love with his “best friend” had been the only reason why he’d even stuck around as long as he had.

On the sixth night, he’d had it. “You know what, Octagon? I don’t know what devil’s riding ya but I’ve had it! You don’t want me to be around? Fine! Watch me go!”

Somehow, that made Octavius even angrier. He opened his mouth as if to speak but ended up saying nothing. He crossed his arms (that much Jed still saw before turning around) and waited for Jed to leave, looking like a Volcano ready to explode.

They didn’t hang out the next night.

Or the night after.

And on the third night Jed wondered if Octavius would come to apologize at all. That’s what he usually did when the bad mood struck him. He just needed to explode and then, later, Octavius would come and apologize. Had Jed done something truly wrong this time? He recalled cancelling a loose appointment to take care of some personal business - but that couldn’t have been it, right?.

On the fourth night, Marcus came to him, asking if something had happened between the two. Apparently, Octavius was still in such a bad mood and, now that Jedediah wasn’t there, he directed all of his wrath towards them. Jedediah couldn’t say what was wrong, but agreed to accompany him to check on his friend.

Even from afar, he saw Octavius standing on top of the winding stairs to the temple, shouting angrily, his entire demeanor radiated hostility.

“Hey Octavius!”, he called as loud as he could and saw his friend freeze. The diorama went quiet. “Yeah, I’m talking to you, anger noodle!”

“WHAT did you just call me?”

“Anger noodle!”, he yelled and came closer. Marcus stood still, several steps behind, baiting his breath. “Danger poodle! Even better, because yer so small!”

“I will not be mocked in front of my men by the likes of you!” Octavius was walking down the stairs, towards Jed. His men shuffled, uneasy and uncertain about what to do. Technically, they hadn’t received any orders. But un-technically someone was insulting their leader, so…

“As if your men don’t know yer a pinscher!”

Without a warning, Octavius charged him, ran into him and threw him to the ground. Jed could not recall a single incident where his friend had put this much weight into it and, for the first time, he was actually scared that, if this should turn into a real fight, the punches would hurt. He threw his hands up in defense, but Octavius was heavy, heavier than him, and landed a single, solid, resonating punch to his jaw. Jed gasped and was dazed long enough for Octavius to raise his right arm again, hand in a fist.

Octavius must have had a change of heart, seen something – anything, because his face fell and he lowered his arm slowly.

Jed thought he saw tears forming at the corner of his friend’s eyes. Then again he couldn’t really focus right now. His head was ringing and his jaw aching. Since when could Octy punch this hard? Must have been because his head was already on the floor. Yeah! He couldn’t have held himself back THAT much the past years. 

“I- I am so-SO sorry. Jedediah? Jed?” Octavius jumped off of him, almost tripping on his own cape, and cradled his head carefully in his hands, sitting next to him.

“I’m – okayish.” He said, blinking to focus. And suddenly, there was nothing.

 

He awoke sheltered. It was dark – way too dark. Usually there were the ceiling lights… and the floor (he wasn’t standing?) was wooden. 

Someone shifted next to him. “Jed?”, Octavius asked, in the softest voice he’d ever heard him speak.

“You hit me.”, he said, remembering the punch. “Did I pass out?” His jaw was still throbbing, but nowhere near the explosive pain from before.

“Yes.” There was rustling, shuffling next to Jed and he could feel Octavius had inched closer.

“I am very sorry. For striking you. For lashing out. Everything.” 

Jed sighed. He’d never heard him so genuinely distraught. “You really went and done it this time, amigo.” He heard another quiet sound from Octavius: A sharp intake of breath and then a gulp. It was weird. Watery. “Are you crying?”

Octavius didn’t answer for a long time, so Jed reached out towards where he thought he was sitting and pat his leg. “I won’t tell anyone if you are.”, he teased and hoped that Octavius could tell he still meant it.

There was more rustling and he could tell now that Octavius was really trying to hold it in. A metallic clutter rang through the enclosure and Jed wondered what could have made that sound. A moment later he felt Octavius resting himself – his head – on his chest. He was crying. Jed could feel the pooling tear stains through his shirt. Even if he had known something cocky to say, he knew now was not the time. Instead he reached out again and stroked his fingers through Octavius’ hair.

It didn’t take Octavius long to calm down. “I should not have struck you. Not like that. I was so, so angry.”

“Yeah. No shit. Ya shouldn’t have.” Jed couldn’t keep himself from caressing Oct’s hair. He rarely saw the curls. Feeling them? Very nice. “Wanna tell me what happened?”

Octavius sighed quietly. “You.”

“Me? Now that don’t make sense.”

“The past few days, no, all the time - you leave and come, you go around, uncaring and free. And I…” Octavius placed a hand on Jed’s chest, close to his heart, flat and firm. Jed felt its warmth seep through.

‘But you’re also free?’, Jedediah wanted to ask. ‘We can all move around now, with Larry around.’

“There’s not a single day I can retreat except for when I retreat with you.”

“You mean…” Jed thought about that for a bit and at first, it didn’t seem to make much sense. Until he remembered the way Octavius stood in front of his men and gave orders. Every. Single. Night. Even when they had plans, there were always orders to give. When they returned, there was some form of rapport. Octavius went to sleep, figuratively, commanding and awoke, commanding. Always in the spotlight, always judging and being judged in return. “… because you’re a commander. But when you’re with me, you’re you.”

“Yes. And you are yourself, always… so very true to yourself. Two weeks ago, you kept cancelling our plans. I saw you, leaving on your own, and I was so … jealous.”

Jed felt the hand on his chest ball into a fist as his friend began shaking anew. “Aw, no, don’t go crying again.”, he said, in a quiet voice. “It ain’t you. And I can’t stand to see you cry.”

“Please, please forgive me for my irrationality!”

“Okay.”, Jed shrugged and regretted the motion immediately, pain shooting up into his jaw again.

Octavius stilled, then asked: “Just like that?” 

The incredulity in Octavius’ voice made Jed laugh. (Also - regret. Jaw. Pain. Ouch.) “Yeah. Just - let’s get you some sort of punching bag or something.” Jed thought that, now that he knew how hard Octavius *could* punch he was prepared for an actual fight, but he didn’t want to risk it. “You know, for the bad days.”

“Thank you…” 

Finally, the weight was lifted off his chest as Octavius got up. Only he didn’t go far, so to speak. The hand over Jed’s heart remained and grew heavier, almost uncomfortably so. Suddenly, he was very aware how close Octavius was, their faces inches away from each other. 

Octavius kissed his cheek. It was brief and warm. And very innocent. But Jed’s heart was racing and he knew Octavius must feel it under his palm.

“Don-Don’t sweat it, compadre.”, he said, his throat very dry and, ironically, with some sweat forming on his temple. His friend moved and he felt very lonely. 

“I do not deserve a man like you. I will make it up to you, I swear.”


End file.
